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12

Jul2017

Cosmetic Cop explains Skincare and common myths

The Cosmetic Cop, founder of Paula’s Choice and best-selling beauty author Paula Begoun. Her expertise has led to hundreds of appearances on national and international television, including The View, The Today Show, and ABC. As a child who suffered from eczema, Paula’s has been a remarkable journey, the stuff of dreams. Today Paula is a globally-recognized consumer expert for the skincare industry. She has been able to put her brilliant research background to work on developing revolutionary products for all skin types and concerns through her skincare line Paula’s Choice. In this part of our chat with her she talks about some basic myths of the industry

There is a big hype about skincare products containing natural ingredients. But are the really better?

According to Paula Begoun, people around the world are obsessed with the idea of using natural or organic skin care ingredients but there’s no benefit to using natural ingredients if those ingredients are going to damage your skin and there are lots of natural ingredients that are indeed bad for skin ranging from peppermint to lemon, lime, alcohol, witch hazel, lavender, most all essential oils, eucalyptus, and on and on. Natural does not always mean better—we can all think of many natural things on our planet that are poisonous or dangerous and you shouldn’t be using those. Many companies touting their natural ingredients are better than other types of ingredients are not telling the truth because, in fact, many synthetic ingredients are actually brilliant for skin. In short, there are good and bad natural or naturally-derived ingredients and good and bad synthetic or science-inspired ingredients.

We often feel skincare products should change with age, is that really true ?

Paula explains, age is not a skin type. Just because you turn a particular age doesn’t mean your skin automatically changes. You must always treat the skin type you have. Lots of people in their 40s, 50s, and 60s can have oily skin and struggle with breakouts or clogged pores. Using products aimed at so-called mature skin would be a mistake because those are almost always too emollient and heavy which would make your oily skin and breakout prone skin worse.

The common notion is that there is a specific age when we should start using anti- aging products.

Paula says, think of that question in comparison to your diet and ask when I should start eating healthy and exercising so I stay young and healthy and the answer is as soon as possible. All the products you use must always be loaded with anti-aging ingredients that help skin fight off environmental damage, helps skin stay healthy and young, protect from sun damage which is the number 1 cause of skin aging, and help skin repair itself.

Paula Begoun

Various Miracle skincare ingredient in products are often claimed by manufacturers as an answer to all our problems

Paula says, there are no miracle skin care ingredients but there are lots and lots of great ones. The hope that one ingredient from some exotic location or with some sensational story will save your skin is utter nonsense, not to mention each company has their own miracle ingredient they love bragging about, so who are you going to believe? One ingredient couldn’t save your skin any more than one ingredient could save your diet. Skin is the largest organ of your body and requires an array of ingredients such as antioxidants, skin repairing ingredients, and sun protecting ingredients to stay young, radiant, and clear. Just like your diet, green tea may be healthy but if you only drank green tea you wouldn’t be healthy for very long.

Paula’s suggestion for a basic skincare routine

A gentle cleanser, a toner loaded with barrier repair ingredients, a gentle leave-on exfoliant, and then during the day a moisturizer with sunscreen and at night a moisturizer loaded with skin beneficial ingredients. Keep in mind the texture of these products must match your skin type. If you have normal to dry skin they should be in an emollient more creamy base and if you have normal to oily blemish-prone skin they should be in gel, light serum, or thin lotion textures. These are the basic steps to help you get the best skin of your life now!

Paula’s boyfriend is Indian and originally from Bandra, Mumbai. She often visits India and says, despite the crowds and chaos in India, the culture, vast history, awe-inspiring landmarks, and incredible food have all become a part of her soul.

Recalling some of her most anecdotal experiences in India, she says it is all about driving. She feels, drivers in India believe lanes and rules of the road are merely suggestions and not to be taken seriously. The lunacy of people, including children, cattle, and stray dogs walking calmly along the road inches away from cars is unnerving., “No one flinches except for me. I doubt I’ll ever get used to it.”

For her what stands out in the Indian women is the traditional clothing and magnificent jewelry. However she feels frustrated, about the poor selection of skincare products available in India. “You have to be in a big city at the rare department store but even then a lot of those products are just ridiculously overpriced and not well formulated and the selection is still small.”

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